#VisitNH Eye Candy: The Basin’s Firefall with Mitch McPherson

A look at who, where, and what went into this Instagram-worthy shot.

Taken By

Mitch McPherson, 26, Photographer/Drone Pilot

When

Mid-October

Where

The Basin, Franconia Notch State Park

What it Took

“After climbing off of the trail for a better look at this waterfall, I set up my tripod on a rock just above the pool of leaves and took the shot with my remote shutter (to prevent camera shaking). It was a 13-second shutter, so the anticipation was killing me! I had no idea what this image was going to look like. Immediately after capturing it, I jumped in the air with excitement, and almost slipped off the rock into the water.”

Why this Shot

“The waterfall in this photo was not the main attraction at this stop by any means, but it caught my eye immediately. There were a bunch of colorful leaves swirling around in the pool. If you look at the center of the pond you can see all the way to the bottom, and there is a bed of orange leaves there. It’s not one of the first details that I noticed about the photo, but it reminds me of the calm in the eye of a storm, which I think is a really neat detail.”

Why Shoot in NH

“Traveling alone can sometimes be difficult and lonely, but everyone in New Hampshire is so friendly and helpful. Usually, at night I’d find a tavern wherever I ended up and have a couple beers with the locals. These turned out to be some of my favorite memories from the trip – they told me locations for the best hiking, and other activities to fill my next day on the road. I was never short on things to do or places to go.”